Overpriced, annoying constant advertising, entertainment amateur. Price quoted misleading — have to purchase expensive land tours in order to see anything except views of commercial working ports ( not scenic). Port excursions double actual cruise cost.

Item: Regal Princess
Rating: 3
Author: enterich2010

Regal Princess Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe

enterich2010

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 16

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

12 Night British Isles (Southampton Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 15, 2024

Ship: Regal Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: D144

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Read the description for the cruise carefully. Descriptions are written in nice marketing words, which may not reflect what you actually observe. Calculate the total cost of everything (including shore excursions and other extras) then decide if the cost matches the actual offering? If you set your expectations based on actual cost you may be satisfied with the offerings. Do you mind being solicited to buy extras, even while you’re eating your dinner?

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Okay.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Buffets OK, enough gluten free choices. Chefs, servers, dining room staff excellent. Other dining areas food same as buffet, just have to wait longer to eat. Buffet staff excellent. Restaurant food no better than buffet, just takes longer to sit and wait, to be served, fewer choices, nothing special. Gluten free dessert choice limited. One choice per day, repeats every 4th day (or so). Desserts nothing special. Better sea view from buffet dining areas, than dining rooms.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

None

Entertainment

Center of ship entertainment too loud, and amateurish party games. Acoustics awful for singing performances.

Children's Programs

No children

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Excellent

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ok. Too much time spent waiting for elevators. Cleanliness and maintenance good.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Cleanliness Excellent, bed OK, balcony too small to use, inside chairs useful only to pile suitcases upon. Can only watch TV from bed. No view of screen anywhere else in the room. Screen viewing angle can’t be changed. Shower floor slippery, additional grab bar needed. Limited , uninspiring TV program selection. Presumably chosen because it can be used royalty free (so old).

Ship tip

Calculate actual total cost of cruise before you decide it is a good deal. Shore excursions can double your price. Some ports may offer no excursions at all. (Good for ship profit—captive passengers have to pay for onboard entertainment if there is any. Beware if advertising brochure doesn’t, have any shore excursions. This is NOT a luxury cruise. Lower your expectations. Quality of the Cruise is not as high as the price.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ringaskiddy (Cork), Ireland

3 out of 5

Good excursion.

Thumbs Up 0

Dun Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland

3 out of 5

Good excursion

Thumbs Up 0

Belfast, Northern Ireland

3 out of 5

Excellent excursion (great guide)

Thumbs Up 0

Holyhead, Wales

1 out of 5

No excursion offered, though many items of interest on island—formal gardens (Bodnant) scenic drives, etc. Tiny seafaring museum has interesting elderly guide (two small rooms in a tiny house near waterfront.)

Thumbs Up 0

Greenock (Glasgow), Scotland Did not visit port

Sick

Thumbs Up 0

Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland Did not visit port

Sick

Thumbs Up 0

South Queensferry (Edinburgh), Scotland Did not visit port

Sick

Thumbs Up 0

Le Havre (Paris), France Did not visit port

Tour cancelled due to strike. Portland substitute—public bus ride around small town.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Very Efficient

11 Comments

cbc30781 5 months ago

We have been on Regal three times. The last in 2022 on the same basic itinerary you sailed. Our experience was quite different. While the weather was not the best, the ship, food, entertainment and staff were great! I do agree that this class of Princess ships have smaller balconies but there is so much open space on deck. Sorry your cruise did not meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

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MJP52 5 months ago

It's sound like you would be better staying at home look at the TV

Thumbs Up 4

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Dumfy75 5 months ago

No onboard activities?? Find that hard to believe. Also, yes you do need to look into the ports beforehand and see what excursions you’d want to do and how much they cost. If you didn’t do that, that’s not anyone else’s fault, not even the cruise line’s

Thumbs Up 4

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1960cruiser 5 months ago

Either this is a bogus review or cruising just isn't for you. I've been on Regal Princess 4 times and had a great experience every time. Practically everything negative you posted is inaccurate at the very least. My instincts say something happened on the first or second day that got you upset, and now you want to chastise every little thing to make some kind of point. If you cruise again, don't sweat the small stuff and just enjoy your cruise.

Thumbs Up 5

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Gwbigdog 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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Dutch3901 5 months ago

Respectfully, I know this is your perspective but we were in the Regal for the 16 day Transatlantic Cruise in April '24. We had the exact opposite experience. Television?Excellent programming, movies and shows that are available rivals Netflix, plus live programs including news from all of the major networks. Excellent educational briefings, given earlier, are repeated in your cabin. Entertainment (games shows / live music) was simply excellent. Food was very good, especially the MDRs. I venture to say that a person's perspective on their cruise is largely based on the attitude that they leave home with...

Thumbs Up 5

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RedDawn55 5 months ago

Seems like you were sick alot. Maybe that's a big reason why you were so unhappy with the cruise.

Thumbs Up 2

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cruising2004 5 months ago

Sorry you were disappointed with your cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

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javawoody 5 months ago

Seems that cruising is not for you

Thumbs Up 5

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karlgrgurich 5 months ago

Wow

Thumbs Up 1

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HeavySeas 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience

Thumbs Up 0

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